The Canadian Premier League is 35 matches-old, if you will, having just wrapped up the Spring portion of the 2019 season on Canada Day with three finale matches.
There’s no rest for the wicked, however, as another three-game super matchday awaits on Saturday to open the Fall season.
But before we get there, let’s take a look at the players that have impressed in the opening stanza, shall we?
Below is a list of a “Spring XI” selected by CPL Editorial.
Goalkeeper: Nathan Ingham (York9 FC)
York9 FC’s Nathan Ingham stamped his name all over the CPL’s Spring season from Day 1, making several massive stops in the CPL’s Inaugural Match at Tim Hortons Field and turning heads from coast-to-coast as his team took on the rest of the league.
The former FC Edmonton shot-stopper wasn’t exactly unknown in Canadian soccer circles, but a league-leading 39 saves later, Ingham has emerged as one of the best Canadian ‘keepers to be plying their trade at home. Quite the step-up for a last-minute acquisition.
Defenders: Zela Langwa (HFX Wanderers), Peter Schaale (HFX Wanderers), Luca Gasparotto (York9 FC) & Jeannot Esua (FC Edmonton)
Zela Langwa slots in at left fullback as the first of two HFX Wanderers players in this all-spring backline. “Zoom” has been excellent as an aggressive left-sided defender; 30 tackles are nearly a third more than any other CPL defender completed in the Spring. The 21-year-old has been exceptional as an attacker in Stephen Hart’s up-the-wing style, completing 29 dribbles through his first 10 matches.
At the centreback position, Peter Schaale and Luca Gasparotto come in as unanimous choices from CPL Editorial.
Schaale, a CPL-USPORTS Draft pick, has been a revelation. Quick to recover, leading the league with 61 clearances, and smart at organizing his teammates, the Cape Breton standout has become one of the top defenders in the CPL.
Gasparotto has been a constant presence at the back for Y9, playing all 900 minutes of league action, surviving each tough shift and anchoring the evolution Jimmy Brennan’s backline has made through its first 10 matches. Gasparotto’s work came to fruition in June, collecting three-straight clean sheets and solidifying the 24-year-old as an elite defender.
FC Edmonton’s Jeannot Esua arrives at right fullback. The versatile Cameroonian has been dangerous up and down the pitch for the Eddies in all 10 league matches, using his pace and smart positioning to become one of the best two-way wide players in the CPL so far.
Midfielders: Noah Verhoeven (Pacific FC), Louis Beland-Goyette (Valour FC), Sergio Camargo (Cavalry FC)
CPL Spring stars Noah Verhoeven, Louis Beland-Goyette and Sergio Camargo make up the midfield in this 4-3-3 formation.
PFC’s Noah Verhoeven was rewarded for his solid early-season form with an invite to the Canadian men’s national team camp in Los Angeles ahead of the Gold Cup. The 20-year-old Verhoeven has emerged as one of the league’s best possession-retaining midfielders, completing 406 passes and crafting 1.5 scoring chances per 90 minutes through his club’s opening season.
Beland-Goyette, Valour’s shuttling centre midfielder, is about as all-rounder of a centre mid as you can get. Confident in possession and a tough nut to crack defensively, the former Montreal Impact academy product is the premier holding-midfielder from the CPL’s first 35 matches.
On the left is Cavalry FC’s Sergio Camargo. A brace against Edmonton and a tie-winning goal to best Forge FC in the Canadian Championship proved Camargo to be one of the best attacking midfielders through the first 10-match Spring season. He’s quick, able to break a line or hold the ball in tough situations, and leads the CPL with 43 touches in the opposition’s 18-yard-box, proving he’s a dynamic attacking force.
Attackers: Tristan Borges (Forge FC), Oumar Diouck (FC Edmonton) & Nico Pasquotti (Cavalry FC)
CPL’s joint-golden boot frontrunner Tristan Borges has been nothing short of brilliant for Forge FC. Demonstratic classy long-range goals, cutting runs, and tricky footwork, Borges is, quite literally, turning heads with his pacy attacking play.
FC Edmonton striker Oumar Diouck slots in at centre-forward tied with Borges atop the CPL’s goalscoring charts at four goals. The Belgian has been key to the Eddies’ late-Spring turnaround as a clinical, pacy forward that also has a knack for winning the ball high up the pitch. How he’d fit on this hypothetical all-CPL lineup without strike-partner Tomi Ameobi is another thing, but Diouck’s quality has shone through.
When not sending vicious long throws, Nico Pasquotti can be seen running at full-tilt with possession, burning defenders, and scoring last-minute winners. Cavalry’s tricky winger has emerged as one of the top performers through the CPL’s first stanza, producing two goals for the Spring champions in the process.